THAI FIST WITH NA­TIONAL FLAG COL­ORS SOLD FOR MORE THAN $1.5K

ASi­amese fight­ing fish with the col­ors of the Thai na­tional flag has been bought for 53,500 baht ($1,530) at an on­line auc­tion, pos­si­bly mak­ing it the most ex­pen­sive Betta fish ever sold. Pic­tures of the fish, with its blue, red and white hor­i­zon­tal stripes mim­ick­ing the Thai flag, went vi­ral af­ter its breeder Kachen Wo­rachai posted them on a pri­vate Betta fish auc­tion group on Face­book.

Kachen said Thurs­day he had ex­pected some­one to buy the fish for a few thou­sand baht but was shocked when the bid hit 10,000 baht ($285) on the sec­ond day. “I never ex­pected my fish to go for this price,” said Kachen, a 40-year-old con­ve­nience store owner who breeds Betta fish as a hobby. He posted the pic­tures on Nov. 6 with a start­ing bid of 99 baht ($2.82) and closed the auc­tion on Nov 8.

Betta fish have been bred pre­vi­ously to re­pro­duce the col­ors of the Thai flag but Kachen said none have come close. He said the high­est pre­vi­ous price for a Betta was for a half-moon Betta fish that sold for 23,500 baht ($671). “The chance of get­ting a fish with the flag’s ex­act color is like one in 100,000,” said Kachen. “So many peo­ple have tried to breed the Thai flag col­ors. Luck was re­ally on my side.”

A Si­amese fight­ing fish with col­ors re­sem­bling the Thai na­tional flag swims in a fish tank in Nakhon Pathom, Thai­land.

A Si­amese fight­ing fish with col­ors re­sem­bling the Thai na­tional flag swims in a fish tank in Nakhon Pathom, Thai­land.